Have You Used The 3 R’s Today?

Unique Perspectives: Have You Used The 3 R’s Today?

By Kim Stevens

Retreat. Regroup. Respond. 

It’s what I call the 3 R’s (also known as “Pause, Pray, Proceed) and it’s an important process to take rather than reacting to any given situation. Here’s a breakdown of how you move through the 3 R’s:

• First, you RETREAT by taking a minute, pausing and giving yourself a real break from the situation. 

• Then, you REGROUP and think about what you want to say, what truth needs to be told or how you want to answer. 

• Finally, after taking a break and thinking through your reply, you RESPOND. 

  
  

There are also two major scenarios in which the 3 R’s apply. The first scenario is if you’re a “big reactor.” Something happens and without hesitation, you strongly react. You also don’t leave a whole lot of space between this thing that occurs and your knee-jerk reaction to it. Afterwards, you’re often left feeling bad about your big, sudden reaction because you reacted before you knew all the details. You might have even reacted in a way that was inappropriate and now, you have to apologize. 

There’s another scenario where you can use the 3 R’s, and this one was huge for me. I used to feel like I had to have all the answers. If you asked me something, I always felt like I was supposed to know the answer right away. The 3 R’s are helpful when I need more time to gather information or when I’m not sure how I feel about what’s happening right now. Maybe I’m asked to do a favor or attend an event or donate money and I’m not certain if it’s right for me. 

Armed with the 3 R’s, I can say, “Let me give that some thought.” Then I’ll retreat (pause and give myself a break), regroup (pray and process the information to figure out what I really want) and finally, once all this is sorted out, I’ll respond.

In using the 3 R’s for various situations, I find I act with more integrity, I’m more impeccable with my word and I feel really good about myself and the way I can honor others with a thoughtful, thought-out response. The world might be moving faster than ever but with the 3 R’s, I can slow things down and react on my time.